(2005) April 14 Evening-length political work created by Maida Withers for the historic Lenin Museum  in Krasnoyarsk Russia with 13 Russian dancers along with Nikolay Shchetnev and three American dance artists. The work was first titled, “Memorium.”  The work was part of the International Festival of Modern Dance “Isadora” in Krasnoyarsk, Eastern Siberia, Russia. The various exhibitions in a new Lenin Museum provided rich information for creating scripts for performance.  Withers many projects in Russia made a stimulating and, perhaps controversial, dance work possible.
“I am deeply touched by the freedom and openness of the Russian dancers to move freely in the Museum without caution or seemingly concerned about interaction with the exhibitions and the technology there.”  Maida Withers

Press Release:  LENIN “Memorium,” April 14, 2005 a site-specific work created for the Lenin Museum in the Cultural – Historical Center of Krasnoyarsk, and “Shocked and Odd – Live Art” with Nikolai Schetnev, Russian dancer, April 16 in the Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Krasnoyarsk.  MWDCCo was in residence at the International Festival of Modern Dance “Isadora” April 10 to 17, 2005.

LENIN was created during a two-week summer dance workshop and scripting and scoring with Maida Withers and sponsored and presented to the public by the Isadora International Dance Festival, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia.  Most of the Lenin Museums had been dismantled after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but since this was a new museum, it survived the general purge of such spaces.  The event was televised locally in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Megan Thompson, Jack Gallagher with Russian audience members

Brilliant Russian dancers in the workhops
Megan
Russian dancersRussian dancer and audienceMegan Thompson, Jack Gallagher with Lenin statue in Lenin Museum
Maida Withers and Nikolay Shchetnev, Russian dance artistMegan Thompson with Russian dancer

Nikolay Shchetnev

Russian Dancers in Lenin Museum
Nikolay Shchetnev with Lenin photographs in the LENIN Museum
Workshop artists in photo with LENIN in the LENIN Museum

Megan Thompson
Megan Thompson
Russian dancers responding in movement and commenting on historical text in booths in the exhibition.